U.S. patent application number 11/466607 was filed with the patent office on 2007-06-14 for home office communication system and method.
Invention is credited to Raymond Walden III Bennett, Robert Wesley JR. Bossemeyer, Wayne Robert Heinmiller, Jordan Howard Light.
Application Number | 20070133758 11/466607 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22297212 |
Filed Date | 2007-06-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070133758 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bennett; Raymond Walden III ;
et al. |
June 14, 2007 |
HOME OFFICE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD
Abstract
A home office communication system (10) has a control and
display system (16). A modern (12) is controlled by the control and
display system (16) and connected to a telephone line (14). A
multiplexer (18) is connected to the modem (12) and multiplexes a
plurality of outgoing data streams in a predefined format and
demultiplexes an incoming data stream from a modern (12). A speech
encoding system (20) generates a plurality of speech packets to
form one of the plurality of outgoing data streams. A telephone
line control system (22) venerates a plurality of control packets
forming one of the plurality of outgoing data streams and an
information channel (24) forms one of the plurality of outgoing
data streams.
Inventors: |
Bennett; Raymond Walden III;
(Naperville, IL) ; Bossemeyer; Robert Wesley JR.;
(St. Charles, IL) ; Heinmiller; Wayne Robert;
(Elgin, IL) ; Light; Jordan Howard; (Mount
Prospect, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HANLEY, FLIGHT & ZIMMERMAN, LLC
150 S. WACKER DRIVE
SUITE 2100
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
22297212 |
Appl. No.: |
11/466607 |
Filed: |
August 23, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09789421 |
Feb 20, 2001 |
7116762 |
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11466607 |
Aug 23, 2006 |
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09103825 |
Jun 24, 1998 |
6230133 |
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11466607 |
Aug 23, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
379/67.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 12/2856 20130101;
H04M 1/2478 20130101; H04M 7/0033 20130101; H04M 3/4234 20130101;
H04L 12/2878 20130101; H04M 11/06 20130101; H04M 3/53333 20130101;
H04M 7/1205 20130101; H04M 2250/74 20130101; H04M 7/0054 20130101;
H04M 1/2535 20130101; H04M 1/247 20130101; H04M 3/42314 20130101;
H04M 1/715 20210101; H04M 1/271 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
379/067.1 |
International
Class: |
H04M 1/64 20060101
H04M001/64 |
Claims
1-32. (canceled)
33. A communication system, comprising: a modem connected to a
communication line; a multiplexer connected to the modem
multiplexing a plurality of outgoing data streams; a controller
coupled to the multiplexer; a speech synthesis system coupled to
the controller; and a speech encoding system generating a plurality
of speech packets forming one of the plurality of outgoing data
streams.
34. A communication system of claim 33, wherein the modem is a
cable modem.
35. A communication system of claim 33, wherein the modem is a
digital modem.
36. A communication system of claim 33, wherein the modem is an
analog modem.
37. A communication system of claim 33, further comprising a user's
computer being coupled to the multiplexer.
38. A communication system of claim 33, further comprising a speech
recognition system coupled to the controller.
39. A communication system of claim 33, further comprising a
telephone directory coupled to the controller.
40. A communication system of claim 33, wherein the communication
line is coupled to the internet.
41. A communication system of claim 33, wherein the plurality of
speech packets use an internet protocol.
42. A communication system, comprising: a modem coupled to a
communication line; a controller coupled to the modem; a vocoder
coupled to the modem generating a plurality of speech packets
forming one of a plurality of outgoing data streams; a speech
recognition system coupled to the controller; and a multiplexer
connected to the modem multiplexing the plurality of outgoing data
streams, wherein the plurality of outgoing data streams use an IP
format.
43. A communication system of claim 42, wherein at least one of the
plurality of outgoing data streams comprises an email
information.
44. A communication system of claim 42, wherein at least one of the
plurality of outgoing data streams comprises a web site
information.
45. A communication system of claim 42, further comprising a
computer coupled to the multiplexer.
46. A communication system of claim 42, further comprising a speech
synthesis system.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to communication
systems and more particularly to a home office communication system
and method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] An executive working from home or his hotel room, commonly
needs to communicate with his office. This can include calling for
voice mail messages, downloading email messages, receiving faxes
and talking to his coworkers. In addition, the executive may need
to download files from the company's project server. Commonly it
will require a separate call to get the voice mail messages, email
messages, faxes and telephone conversations. In addition, these
telephone call may each be long distance telephone calls.
[0003] Thus there exists a need for a home office communication
system that does not require multiple telephone calls to receive
voice mail messages, email messages, faxes and telephone
conversations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0005] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
[0006] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
[0007] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
[0008] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a display used with a home
office communication system in accordance with one embodiment of
the invention;
[0009] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the steps used in a home office
communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention;
[0010] FIGS. 7 & 8 are a flow chart of the steps used in a home
office communication system in accordance with another embodiment
of the invention; and
[0011] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] A home office communication system that overcomes these and
other problems has a control and display system. A modem is
controlled by the control and display system and connected to a
telephone line. A multiplexer is connected to the modem and
multiplexes a plurality of outgoing data streams in a predefined
format and demultiplexes an incoming data stream from the modem. A
speech encoding system generates a plurality of speech packets to
form one of the plurality of outgoing data streams. A telephone
line control system generates a plurality of control packets
forming one of the plurality of outgoing data streams and an
information channel forms one of the plurality of outgoing data
streams. The system allows a worker at home to have a telephone
conversation with the office while downloading his email over the
information channel. The multiplexer intelligently combines the
data streams over a single telephone line. This eliminates the need
to place a separate telephone call to pickup email and voice mail
messages or to have a telephone conversation with a co-worker.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. A
modem 12 is connected to a telephone line 14. The modem 12 is
controlled by a control and display system 16. A multiplexer 18 is
connected to the modem 12. The multiplexer 18 multiplexes a
plurality of outgoing data streams and demultiplexes an incoming
data stream. A speech encoding system 20 generates a plurality of
speech packets (plurality of voice packets) that are sent to the
multiplexer 18. A telephone line control system 22 generates a
plurality of control packets that are sent Lo the multiplexer 18.
In one embodiment the multiplexer applies a control tag to each of
a plurality of control packets. An information channel 24 is
connected to the multiplexer 18. The information channel would
include email information (email message), information from a
project server and information from web sites.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system 30 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. A
lo telephone line 32 is connected to a modem 34. The modem 34 is
connected to a multiplexer 36. The multiplexer 36 is connected to a
vocoder 38 and a control and display system 40. A speaker 42
receives incoming audio signals from the vocoder 38. A microphone
44 sends an audio signal to the vocoder 38. The control and display
system 40 includes a telephone directory 46, a speech recognition
system 48 and a speech synthesis system 50. The telephone directory
46 allows a user to automatically dial co-workers. The speech
recognition system 48 allows a user to voice commands and the
speech synthesis system 50 allows the system to function as an
electronic receptionist for incoming calls.
[0015] In one embodiment the multiplexer 36 applies a speech tag to
each of the plurality of speech packets from the vocoder 36. The
multiplexer 36 also routes an incoming packet to the vocoder 36
when the incoming packet includes a speech tag.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system 60 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. A
home office system 62 is connected by a telephone line 64 through
the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 66 and a second
telephone line 68 to a base office system 70. In one embodiment the
PSTN is replaced by the Internet. The home office system 62
includes a computer 70 having a modem 72 connected to a multiplexer
74. The multiplexer 74 is connected to an analog to digital
converter 76 that converts audio signals from analog to digital
signals. A telephone control module 78 and an information channel
80 are connected to the multiplexer 74. In one embodiment the home
office system 62 communicates with the base office system 70 using
an internet protocol.
[0017] The base office system 70 has a base modem 82 connected to a
telephone line 68. A router 84 is connected to the base modem 82.
The router 84 is connected to a telephone interface 86 and to a
gateway (gateway and firewall) 88. The gateway and firewall 88
provides protection from hackers and other unauthorized users. In
one embodiment the gateway and firewall provide protocol
translations between a local area network 90 and the external
world. The local area network 90 includes an email server 92, a
project server 94 and a company telephone directory 96. The
telephone interface 86 is connected to the private branch exchange
(PBX) 98. The telephone interface converts between analog and
digital telephone line standards. The PBX (telephone switch) 98
routes incoming calls throughout the office. The PBX (switch) 98 is
also connected to a voice mail system 100. Telephone connections
between the home office communication system 60 and another
telephony device are established by the telephony interface 86
connected to some node in the PSTN (shown as PBX 98, although in
other embodiments it could be a central office). As is know to
those skilled in the art, the control signals passing between the
telephony control system 78 and the telephony interface 86 can be
defined to permit the establishment of as many types of telephony
connections as are supported by the PBX 98 or other compatible PSTN
node. Using this system an executive can place one phone call to
his company and pickup email, voice mail, and information off of
the company project server. In addition, the executive can have a
telephone conversation with his co-workers. This system saves a
user time and money, since a single phone line (telephone
connection) can be used for all the functions listed above. In the
prior art the executive would be required to make a separate
telephone connection (telephone call) for each of the functions
listed above.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system 60 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
This embodiment is very similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3 except
it shows a user's computer (target computer) 102 connected to the
local area network 90, a facsimile server 104 and an integrated
messaging, center 106. In addition, the home office system 62 has a
plurality of telephones 108 connected to the analog to digital
converter 76. Depending on the type of telephone line 64 more
simultaneous telephone channels can be sustained over the telephone
line 64. For instance a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) would allow
more telephone channels than an analog telephone line.
[0019] The integrated messaging center 106 is connected to the
local area network 90 and extracts header information from the
email server 92, voice mail system 100 and the facsimile server
104. When a user picks up his messages, he receives a listing
showing the type of message, who the message is from (sender's
name) and title information. The integrated messaging center 106 in
one embodiment uses an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system
to extract the sender information (sender's name and sender's
telephone number) from faxes.
[0020] In one embodiment the home office system includes software
for shared white-boarding applications. The home computer 70 and
the target computer 102 show the same screen and both computers can
input information into a common document. This makes it easy for a
user to work on a document with a colleague while also having a
telephone conversation to discuss the document.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a display 120 used with a
home office communication system in accordance with one embodiment
of the invention. The display 120 shows a call window 122 having a
new call header 124 for placing a call, a directory header 126, a
call log header 128, a voice mail header 130 and a voice mail
indicator 132. Below the call window 122 is a program listing 134
which has been downloaded from the project server and an email
window 136.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the steps used in a home office
communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention. The process starts, step 150, by establishing a
communication link between a home modem and an office modem at step
152. Next, one of a plurality of communication options is selected
at step 154. A second of the plurality of communication options is
selected at step 156. When the one of the plurality of
communication options is a telephone conversation, a voice channel
is established over the communication link at step 158. A user's
voice is digitized to form a digitized voice signal at step 160. At
step 162, the digitized voice signal is packetized to form a
plurality of voice packets. Each of the plurality of voice packets
includes a speech tag, which ends the process at step 164.
[0023] FIGS. 7 & 8 are a flow chart of the steps used in a home
office communication system in accordance with another embodiment
of the invention. The process starts, step 180, by establishing a
communication link between a home modem and an office modem at step
182. Next, one of a plurality of communication options is selected
at step 184. A second of the plurality of communication options is
selected at step 186. When the one of the plurality of
communication options is a telephone conversation, a voice channel
is established over the communication link at step 188. A user's
voice is digitized to form a digitized voice signal at step 190. In
one embodiment the digitized voice signal is compressed. At step
192, the digitized voice signal is packetized to form a plurality
of voice packets. Each of the plurality of voice packets includes a
speech tag. When the second of the plurality of communication
options is an email request an email query packet is formed at step
194. Next, it is determined if a speech packet is pending at step
196. When the speech packet is not pending, the email query is sent
at step 198. At step 200, an email response is received, which ends
the process at step 202.
[0024] In one embodiment the user requests a directory listing
having a plurality of names before establishing a communication
link. The user then selects one of the plurality of names. The
system automatically dials a telephone number associated with the
selected name.
[0025] In another embodiment the user selects an email request as
the second of the communication options. The system forms an email
query packet. The system is designed to send voice packets first,
so the email query packet will only be sent when no voice packets
are pending transmission. The system will then receive an email
response that contains a header of all new emails in a user's email
box.
[0026] In another embodiment the second communication option is an
incoming telephone call. The system uses a speaker verification
module to determine the identity of the caller. The system then
selects a file associated with the caller.
[0027] In yet another embodiment the second communication option is
a second telephone conversation. The system establishes a second
voice channel over the communication link.
[0028] In yet another embodiment the user selects a shared
white-boarding application. The home system transmits a start
white-boarding request to a target computer. The home system
receives an acknowledgment from the target computer.
[0029] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a home office communication
system 300 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
A microphone 302 is connected to an analog to digital converter
304. The analog to digital converter 304 is connected to a speech
compression module 306. A telephone control module 308 packetizes
the digitized speech signal. A TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) module 308 places the packets of speech
into a TCP/IP format. A modem 310 then modulates the TCP/IP signal
and transmits the signal over a phone line. Note the modem can be
an analog modem, a digital modem or a cable modem. A digital modem
is used with Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Lines (ASDL), Digital
Subscriber Lines (DSL), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
and other digital telephone formats. A digital modem converts a
signal from a local computer formal, such as ethernet, to a digital
telephone format such as ISDN.
[0030] A speaker 312 is connected to a digital to analog converter
314. The digital to analog converter 314 converts an incoming
digital speech signal into an analog speech signal. A speech
decompression module 316 expands an incoming compressed speech
signal.
[0031] A user interface including a keyboard 318 and a display 320
are connected to a user interface control module 322. The user
interface allows a user to access an email module 324, a telephone
directory 326, and a local directory 328. A client process control
module 330 and remoting editing module 332 allows the home system
to act a server.
[0032] A speech synthesis module 334 is used for automated
telephone receptionist features. A speech recognition module 336 is
used as an alternative user interface, allowing a user to voice
commands to the computer.
[0033] The methods described herein can be implemented as
computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable
storage medium that when executed by a computer will perform the
methods described herein.
[0034] Thus there has been described a home office communication
system that allows a user to receive email messages, voice mail
messages, faxes and have a telephone conversation with a co-worker
over a single telephone connection.
[0035] While the invention has been described in conjunction with
specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alterations,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is
intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and
variations in the appended claims.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0036] This patent arises from a divisional of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/789,421, which was filed on Feb. 20, 2001
and is a continuation of U.S. patent Application Ser. No.
09/103,825, which was filed on Jun. 24, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No.
6,230,133. Both U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/789,421 and
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/103,825 are hereby incorporated
by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0037] The present invention relates generally to communication
systems and more particularly to a home office communication system
and method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0038] An executive working from home or his hotel room, commonly
needs to communicate with his office. This can include calling for
voice mail messages, downloading email messages, receiving faxes
and talking to his coworkers. In addition, the executive may need
to download files from the company's project server. Commonly it
will require a separate call to get the voice mail messages, email
messages, faxes and telephone conversations. In addition, these
telephone call may each be long distance telephone calls.
[0039] Thus there exists a need for a home office communication
system that does not require multiple telephone calls to receive
voice mail messages, email messages, faxes and telephone
conversations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0040] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0041] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
[0042] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
[0043] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
[0044] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a display used with a home
office communication system in accordance with one embodiment of
the invention;
[0045] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the steps used in a home office
communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention;
[0046] FIGS. 7 & 8 are a flow chart of the steps used in a home
office communication system in accordance with another embodiment
of the invention; and
[0047] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a home office communication
system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0048] A home office communication system that overcomes these and
other problems has a control and display system. A modem is
controlled by the control and display system and connected to a
telephone line. A multiplexer is connected to the modem and
multiplexes a plurality of outgoing data streams in a predefined
format and demultiplexes an incoming data stream from the modem. A
speech encoding system generates a plurality of speech packets to
form one of the plurality of outgoing data streams. A telephone
line control system generates a plurality of control packets
forming one of the plurality of outgoing data streams and an
information channel forms one of the plurality of outgoing data
streams. The system allows a worker at home to have a telephone
conversation with the office while downloading his email over the
information channel. The multiplexer intelligently combines the
data streams over a single telephone line. This eliminates the need
to place a separate telephone call to pickup email and voice mail
messages or to have a telephone conversation with a co-worker.
[0049] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. A
modem 12 is connected to a telephone line 14. The modem 12 is
controlled by a control and display system 16. A multiplexer 18 is
connected to the modem 12. The multiplexer 18 multiplexes a
plurality of outgoing data streams and demultiplexes an incoming
data stream. A speech encoding system 20generates a plurality of
speech packets (plurality of voice packets) that are sent to the
multiplexer 18. A telephone line control system 22 generates a
plurality of control packets that are sent to the multiplexer 18.
In one embodiment the multiplexer applies a control tag to each of
a plurality of control packets. An information channel 24 is
connected to the multiplexer 18. The information channel would
include email information (email message), information from a
project server and information from web sites.
[0050] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system 30 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. A
telephone line 32 is connected to a modem 34. The modem 34 is
connected to a multiplexer 36. The multiplexer 36 is connected to a
vocoder 38 and a control and display system 40. A speaker 42
receives incoming audio signals from the vocoder 38. A microphone
44 sends an audio signal to the vocoder 38. The control and display
system 40 includes a telephone directory 46, a speech recognition
system 48 and a speech synthesis system 50. The telephone directory
46 allows a user to automatically dial co-workers. The speech
recognition system 48 allows a user to voice commands and the
speech synthesis system 50 allows the system to function as an
electronic receptionist for incoming calls.
[0051] In one embodiment the multiplexer 36 applies a speech tag to
each of the plurality of speech packets from the vocoder 36. The
multiplexer 36 also routes an incoming packet to the vocoder 36
when the incoming packet includes a speech tag.
[0052] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system 60 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. A
home office system 62 is connected by a telephone line 64 through
the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 66 and a second
telephone line 68 to a base office system 70. In one embodiment the
PSTN is replaced by the Internet. The home office system 62
includes a computer 71 having a modem 72 connected to a multiplexer
74. The multiplexer 74 is connected to an analog to digital
converter 76 that converts audio signals from analog to digital
signals. A telephone control module 78 and an information channel
80 are connected to the multiplexer 74. In one embodiment the home
office system 62 communicates with the base office system 70 using
an internet protocol.
[0053] The base office system 70 has a base modem 82 connected to a
telephone line 68. A router 84 is connected to the base modem 82.
The router 84 is connected to a telephone interface 86 and to a
gateway (gateway and firewall) 88. The gateway and firewall 88
provides protection from hackers and other unauthorized users. In
one embodiment the gateway and firewall provide protocol
translations between a local area network 90 and the external
world. The local area network 90 includes an email server 92, a
project server 94 and a company telephone directory 96. The
telephone interface 86 is connected to the private branch exchange
(PBX) 98. The telephone interface converts between analog and
digital telephone line standards. The PBX (telephone switch) 98
routes incoming calls throughout the office. The PBX (switch) 98 is
also connected to a voice mail system 100. Telephone connections
between the home office communication system 60 and another
telephony device are established by the telephony interface 86
connected to some node in the PSTN (shown as PBX 98, although in
other embodiments it could be a central office). As is know to
those skilled in the art, the control signals passing between the
telephony control system 78 and the telephony interface 86 can be
defined to permit the establishment of as many types of telephony
connections as are supported by the PBX 98 or other compatible PSTN
node. Using this system an executive can place one phone call to
his company and pickup email, voice mail, and information off of
the company project server. In addition, the executive can have a
telephone conversation with his co-workers. This system saves a
user time and money, since a single phone line (telephone
connection) can be used for all the functions listed above. In the
prior art the executive would be required to make a separate
telephone connection (telephone call) for each of the functions
listed above.
[0054] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a home office communication
system 60 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
This embodiment is very similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3 except
it shows a user's computer (target computer) 102 connected to the
local area network 90, a facsimile server 104 and an integrated
messaging center 106. In addition, the home office system 62 has a
plurality of telephones 108 connected to the analog to digital
converter 76. Depending on the type of telephone line 64 more
simultaneous telephone channels can be sustained over the telephone
line 64. For instance a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) would allow
more telephone channels than an analog telephone line.
[0055] The integrated messaging center 106 is connected to the
local area network 90 and extracts header information from the
email server 92, voice mail system 100 and the facsimile server
104. When a user picks up his messages, he receives a listing
showing the type of message, who the message is from (sender's
name) and title information. The integrated messaging center 106 in
one embodiment uses an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system
to extract the sender information (sender's name and sender's
telephone number) from faxes.
[0056] In one embodiment the home office system includes software
for shared white-boarding applications. The home computer 70 and
the target computer 102 show the same screen and both computers can
input information into a common document. This makes it easy for a
user to work on a document with a colleague while also having a
telephone conversation to discuss the document.
[0057] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a display 120 used with a
home office communication system in accordance with one embodiment
of the invention. The display 120 shows a call window 122 having a
new call header 124 for placing a call, a directory header 126, a
call log header 128, a voice mail header 130 and a voice mail
indicator 132. Below the call window 122 is a program listing 134
which has been downloaded from the project server and an email
window 136.
[0058] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the steps used in a home office
communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention. The process starts, step 150, by establishing a
communication link between a home modem and an office modem at step
152. Next, one of a plurality of communication options is selected
at step 154. A second of the plurality of communication options is
selected at step 156. When the one of the plurality of
communication options is a telephone conversation, a voice channel
is established over the communication link at step 158. A user's
voice is digitized to form a digitized voice signal at step 160. At
step 162, the digitized voice signal is packetized to form a
plurality of voice packets. Each of the plurality of voice packets
includes a speech tag, which ends the process at step 164.
[0059] FIGS. 7 & 8 are a flow chart of the steps used in a home
office communication system in accordance with another embodiment
of the invention. The process starts, step 180, by establishing a
communication link between a home modem and an office modem at step
182. Next, one of a plurality of communication options is selected
at step 184. A second of the plurality of communication options is
selected at step 186. When the one of the plurality of
communication options is a telephone conversation, a voice channel
is established over the communication link at step 188. A user's
voice is digitized to form a digitized voice signal at step 190. In
one embodiment the digitized voice signal is compressed. At step
192, the digitized voice signal is packetized to form a plurality
of voice packets. Each of the plurality of voice packets includes a
speech tag. When the second of the plurality of communication
options is an email request an email query packet is formed at step
194. Next, it is determined if a speech packet is pending at step
196. When the speech packet is not pending, the email query is sent
at step 198. At step 200, an email response is received, which ends
the process at step 202.
[0060] In one embodiment the user requests a directory listing
having a plurality of names before establishing a communication
link. The user then selects one of the plurality of names. The
system automatically dials a telephone number associated with the
selected name.
[0061] In another embodiment the user selects an email request as
the second of the communication options. The system forms an email
query packet. The system is designed to send voice packets first,
so the email query packet will only be sent when no voice packets
are pending transmission. The system will then receive an email
response that contains a header of all new emails in a user's email
box.
[0062] In another embodiment the second communication option is an
incoming telephone call. The system uses a speaker verification
module to determine the identity of the caller. The system then
selects a file associated with the caller. In yet another
embodiment the second communication option is a second telephone
conversation. The system establishes a second voice channel over
the communication link.
[0063] In yet another embodiment the user selects a shared
white-boarding application. The home system transmits a start
white-boarding request to a target computer. The home system
receives an acknowledgment from the target computer.
[0064] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a home office communication
system 300 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
A microphone 302 is connected to an analog to digital converter
304. The analog to digital converter 304 is connected to a speech
compression module 306. A telephone control module 308 packetizes
the digitized speech signal. A TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) module 308 places the packets of speech
into a TCP/IP format. A modem 310 then modulates the TCP/IP signal
and transmits the signal over a phone line. Note the modem can be
an analog modem, a digital modem or a cable modem. A digital modem
is used with Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Lines (ASDL), Digital
Subscriber Lines (DSL), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
and other digital telephone formats. A digital modem converts a
signal from a local computer formal, such as ethernet, to a digital
telephone format such as ISDN.
[0065] A speaker 312 is connected to a digital to analog converter
314. The digital to analog converter 314 converts an incoming
digital speech signal into an analog speech signal. A speech
decompression module 316 expands an incoming compressed speech
signal.
[0066] A user interface including a keyboard 318 and a display 320
are connected to a user interface control module 322. The user
interface allows a user to access an email module 324, a telephone
directory 326, and a local directory 328. A client process control
module 330 and remoting editing module 332 allows the home system
to act a server.
[0067] A speech synthesis module 334 is used for automated
telephone receptionist features. A speech recognition module 336 is
used as an alternative user interface, allowing a user to voice
commands to the computer.
[0068] The methods described herein can be implemented as
computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable
storage medium that when executed by a computer will perform the
methods described herein.
[0069] Thus there has been described a home office communication
system that allows a user to receive email messages, voice mail
messages, faxes and have a telephone conversation with a co-worker
over a single telephone connection.
[0070] While the invention has been described in conjunction with
specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alterations,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is
intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and
variations in the appended claims.
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